The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-08-27
THE TARIFF As A POLITICAL ISSUE

THE TARIFF As A POLITICAL ISSUE
As convention after convention Is being
held Of the two great political parties In the
various states the issues OF the coming pres
idential contest become more apparent and
defined. From the declarations Of the Dem.
ocrats la Ohio and Kentucky, and the Re
pub!icans In Ohio. Pennsylvania, and now
In Iowa, II Is evident that the only Issues
the republican party will present In the
contest of 1883 will be high tariff protec-
ton and sectionalsm; while the Demo
Gratis will meet them with a demand for
tariff reform. reduction Of the surplus rev.
enu., and a restoration Of peace and good
will between the sections
Il Is thus apparent that the tariff Issue as
presented by the two parties thus far, and
which will undoubtedly be the form In
which II will go before the people next
year, can not be made on the score OF "pro-
lection" &C. serve as sharp dividing line I;
for, so far as protection" Of our industries
and OF american labor against foreign
competltion" is concerned, there Is no diff
ference between the two parties No tariff
reduction ever attempted by Morrison, Car
lyle, or any Of the sO-called free trade"
Democrats In Congress ever proposed to
touch or antagonist In the remotest degree
any of our great "industrles.' At most,
they proposed such removal OF the tax on
raw materials as would greatly have bene
flied rather than crippled them. The
great wooden interests were 10 be benefited
by reduced tax on foreign wool, the ship
ping interests by lower tax on hemp and
other ship building material, the building
interests by wiping out the tariff on lum-
Der, and the vast meat raising and meat
packing industries by curtailing the plum.
behring's of the great Syracuse salt monop-
oily. "Protectionism," rs principle, thus
remains untouched, THE Democrats only
maintaining that lower tariff on sundry
BoOdo hhh iChONh vi
the tax on most raw materials will be lastly
more beneficial to our great industries than
to keep up the tariff taxation at the present
war rates, which only tends to cripple our
industries by placing them under the con-
troll of grasplng monopolies; while the
Republicans contend for maintaining tariff
taxation at the present high rate, (really to-
protect certain grasring monOpolies that
have grown up under IT, under pretense
that 1t Is necessary for the protection
of American labor against the pauper labor
of Europe. But MS to TINT pretense, 1t Is
shown to be evidence only of pauper intel
lecl In him that maintains 1t, for no tariff
impositions, however enormous, can even
remotely affect the price Of labor In this
country so long as the traditional republican
system of free trade In labor is maintained.
AS to the principle of protectionism It.
self, that Is certainly point from whlch
no dividing line between the parties as
now constituted can be drawn. There are
many earnest republicans who are not pro.
tectionists, and more undoubted democrats
who are. Under the circumstances, pro
lection, or anti-protection, can determine
very inconsiderable number Of votes be-
tween the parties, for the simple reason,
that 1t is out of the issue.
The tariff issues then, to be dealt with
In the coming presidential contest, Is not
whether legitimate American industries
shall or shall not be protected" against
foreign competition, or whether American
labor shall or shall not be protected against
the pauper labor of Europe, for all parties
with equal energy maintain that they are
In favor Of such tariff; but the question
will be, shall such ends be reached by a
reasonable reduction OF taxation where tax
alton Is rather inlmical than beneficial to
our Industries, and Is otherwise burden
upon the public and dangerous and demon,
slizing to the government by the curse II
brings upon 1t Of plethorlc puslic treas
ury; or shall the present excessive rate Of
taxation be maintained, mainly In the In
terest OF certain bloated monopolles, with
all the evils arising from an overburdened
treasury and its attendant temptations tc
extravaganza, waste and wholesale pecula
ton.
A very mysterious shooting took place a
Gardner, Grundy county, ON Saturday
morning last, resulting In the death Of
Walter s. Babcock, lumber dealer Of